A diptych titled Tapetum Lucidum, magnifies the fine patterns and details of a pair of moth wings. Each exaggerated wing scale is cast from a sculpted master mold in carton pierre (a papier-mâché made to imitate stone or bronze) before being independently set with pins to create a fluid, cascading texture. The scales, in rich ochres, bronzes, and golds have been finished with wax and oil to imitate a leather-like material.

Her use of pins to secure each wing scale is a hidden reference to the display method popular in Victorian insect collecting. Historically, insect collecting became a very popular and widespread hobby in the Victorian age. The usual method of display is in a glass-covered box, with the insects mounted on specially made “insect pins.”

Coryndon’s experiment in pointillism illuminates the overlooked intricacies of the natural world, transfiguring the microscopic into the monumental.

Sophie Coryndon combines traditional decorative arts techniques with modern innovation. Material and process driven, she employs multiple disciplines including bronze casting, painting, embroidery, and sculpture to capture elements of the natural world, rooted in historical aesthetics. “Basically, I’m drawn to craftsmanship in any form, especially dying crafts,” says the artist, “But I like to take those things and re-imagine them.”

Inspired by close observation, Coryndon’s work illuminates what is often overlooked.  Her enthusiasm for the organic intricacies ever-present in the macrocosm drives her tenacious ambition to transfigure the microscopic into the monumental. This practice of maximalism fosters her desire to, as she states “take things further, make them larger, make them grander, right to the point of lunacy. Insane beauty is what I’m ultimately after.”

As Coryndon works on a commission basis, custom works may be requested.

Medium: Carton Pierre, Wax, Oil

Dimensions: 48” H x 120” W x 5” D, 121.92 H x 304.80 W x 12.70 D cm